Ladder



B. TERLECKY Oct. 22, 1963 LADDER Filed om'. 12, 1961 u I I Huil! hp Y K C E v R L mT Ws f, Dn O B ATTORNEY United States Patent O 3,107,749 LADDER Boris Terlecky, Bronx, NX., assigner to ASF Industries, gncorporated, New York, FLY., a corporation o New ersey Filed Get. 12, 1961, Ser. No. 144,634 7 Claims. Cl. 182-93) This invention relates to ladders for railway cars, and more particularly to a safety ladder employed in conjunction with a shifting structure or lading on said car.

Railway cars having a shifting structure or lading, such as the cushioned multi-level type cars transporting automobiles, present a hazard to the user of ladders mounted on the cars. There may be need for using a railway ladder :during the loading or unloading of the car or during service of the car. During service the structure or lading carried by the car may move relative to the undertrarne, due to coupler impact. If the ladder is attached to the moving structure, the user of the ladder may be injured because of the abrupt movement of the structure or lading. If the ladder is attached to the underframe, the user of the ladder may be injured because he 'may inadvertently extend his hand or foot into the moving structure or lading.

It is an `object of this invention to provide for a railway car, having a shifting structure and lading, with a safety ladder so constructed as to protect the user against injury from the moving structure or lading.

Another object of this invention is to provide a safety ladder that may be used to protect a user of the ladder against any -danger that may confront him strom the front of the ladder, such as by any movin-g object, iire or explosion.

These and other objects will be apparent from the description and drawings in which:

FIGURE l is a side view of a multi-level railway car and the safety ladder applied thereto in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the invention;

FIGURE 2 is an enlarged view of the safety ladder with an end portion of the railway car, as viewed in FIGURE l, with parts broken away to better show details;

FIGURE 3 is an end side View of the structure shown in FIGURE 2;

FIGUR 4 is an enlarged fragmentary view partly in section of a detail of the structure as shown i-n FIGURE 3; and

FIGURE 5 is an enlarged plan View of the structure shown in FIGURE 2 with parts removed to show detail.

Referring now, to the drawings in detail, it will be seen that the railway car C is of a multi-level car type having a shifting or sliding Iframe structure F which is supported and -cushioned on underframe U, which in turn is supported on trucks T. This type of car carries lading, such as automobiles A, on three track sections S which are secured on the frame structure F. Safety ladders L are mounted at each end of the car, ixed to the underfrarne U and extend upwardly relative thereto. Due to coupler impact, since the fram-e structure F is cushioned on the underframe U, the frame structure F will move longitudinally in relation to the underframe U and ladder L. The user `of the ladder may unavoidably extend his arm or any other part of his tbody within the moving frame structure F and have the part injured `or sheared otI by the moving frame. However, the present invention provides a ladder with safety means to protect the user, such as will be hereinafter described. In addition, these safety means may protect the user against moving lading on the railway car or if the ladder is used independently, may protect the user against any hazard that may present itself from the liront.

3,l.d7,'ii9 Patented oct. 22, lees ice As `clearly shown in the drawings, the ladder L cornprises a pair of `frame members such as angled members l@ with horizontal treads I1 vertically spaced and extending from the underframe U to the top of the frame structure F. The treads Il are supported on the angle members lil by bolts or other means of fastening. The lower portion of the ladderr is secured to the underframe by brackets 12 fbolted or otherwise secured to the ladder and to the uuderframe. The upper and intermediate portions of the ladder are welded or otherwise secured to the inwardly looped ends of a channel-shaped rider 14. In turn the rider 14 is slidably received in a U-shaped bracket l5 which is welded or otherwise secured to a vertical Stringer 16 of the frame struct-ure S through a cross-plate 17 and bracket i8, as best seen in FIGURES 4 and 5. It should be noted that the upper rider 14 may be slidably received in the upper U-shaped bracket l5 which is secured by welding `directly to the frame structure F.

From the preceding, it will be seen that the movement of the frame idue to impact will not eiect or move the relatively stationary ladder. That is, the frame will move in relation to the ladder. Therefore, to protect the user from extending his hands and feet into the moving frame a guard plate 19 is provided. The guard plate is interposed between the treads 11 and the trame F. The yguard plate which includes perpendicular sides 2t? is welded or otherwise secured to the ladders vertical angle members It?, as -best shown in FIGURE 5. The extending sides 2) of the guard plate spaces the plate from the treads 11 to permit the user of the ladder to hold the treads and to partially insert his feet within the ladder to ascend or descend the ladder. It is apparent, therfore, that the guard plate i9 protects the user of the ladder from injury by preventing the `user lfrom extending his hand or doot or arm or any other part of his body into the moving frame or into any moving lading that may be carried by the frame.

The lbody vof the car, as shown in the drawings, also, support a lower step 21 and a sidestep 22l secured to the undenframe U. The guard plate at this portion of the car is not necessary since there is no relative movement between these steps and the car structure. The improved ladder structure may also include a hand grip or roof handhold 23. As shown in FIGURE 3, the roof handhold may be directly secured to the frame structure. Since the ladder does not extend beyond the moving frame to cause injury to the user between itl and the lading, the guard .plate I9 is not extended. However, the roof handle 23 can be secured to the top of the ladder and the guard 19 may be extended upwardly from that shown in the drawings.

From the preceding description, it will be apparent that the ladder need not only be used by railway cars, but may also be used by any other conveyance, such as re trucks. The ladder may also be used independently as a safety ladder to protect the user of the ladder against any hazards such as lire or exploding objects that may eject from a building against which the ladder is placed.

It will also be apparent from the description that various modications may be made without departing from the scope of the invention as dened by the following claims.

What is claimed is:

1. A railway car comprising in combination, an underframe, a safety yladder extending upwardly above said underframe and fixed relative to said underframe, a shifting frame structure supported on the underfrarne for longitudinal movement relative to said underframe and ladder, and means connecting said ladder to said shifting trame structure for relative movement therebetween.

2. A railway car having an under-'frame and a shifting 3, loira-19 frame structure supported on the undertrame for longitudinal movement relative to the underirame, the car comprising, a safety ladder `extending upwardly above and ixed relative to the under'lframe, a bracket rigidly supported on the shifting frame structure adjacent to the upper portion of said ladder and a rider integral to said ladder and slidable within said bracket to permit lon-gitudinal movement of said shifting frame structure relaltive to said ladder.

3. In a railway car having an underframe with couplers mounted at each end of the underframe and a sliding frame structure carried by and cushioned on the underframe 4for relative longitudinal movement therebetween upon coupler impact, the combination of, a safety ladder' immovably fixed on the underframe, said ladder including vertically spaced -rungs, a guard plate secured to said ladder in inwardly spaced relation to said rungs and interposed between said ladder and the sliding frame structure to thereby prevent injury to the user of said ladder due to movement of said sliding frame relative to said ladder occasioned `by the coupler impact, and means slidably connecting said ladder and` the sliding frame structure.

4. A railway car having an underirame and a sliding frame structure supported for longitudinal movement along the underframe, the car comprising, a safety ladder extending upwardly abo-Ve and iixed relative to the underfrarne, a U-shaped bracket rigidly supported on the sliding frame structtue in spaced relation to the underframe and adjacent to the upper portion of said ladder, a channel-shaped rider integral to said ladder and slidable within said U-shaped bracket to permit longitudinal movement of the sliding frame structure relative to said ladder when the frame structure moves along the underframe, and a guard plate secured to said ladder and interposed lbetween said ladder and the sliding frame structure to thereby prevent injury to the user of said ladder occasioned by the movement of the sliding frame relative to said ladder.

5. ln a railway car the combination of, an underframe, means supported on the underframe for longitudinal movement relative thereto, a safety ladder extending upwardly from said underframe alongside said means, said ladder comprising a pair of angled members, each member secured at one end to said underfrarne, a plurality yof horizontal treads spaced along the upwardly extending length of said angled members and secured thereto, a guard plate interposed `between said treads and said means and extending substantially the length of said angled members, said :guard plate having perpendicular sides extending towards and secured to said angled members t0 thereby space said treads from said guard plate, whereby the user of said ladder may hold the treads and insert his feet within the ladder to ascend and descend the ladder while said :guard plate protects him from extending his and feet into the path of said means during movement thereof relative to the -underframe and ladder.

6. A safety ladder comprising a pair of parallel spaced angle sectioned members, each member having one angled leg in the same plane `with one angled leg of the other member and each member having its other angled leg extending from the first angled leg in the same direction and in parallel spaced relationship with the other angled leg of the other member, a plurality of treads spaced along the length of said members and secured to the ngled legs that are located within the same plane, and

a guard plate having perpendicularextending sides extending towards and secured to the parallel angled legs of said members to thereby space said treads from said guard plate and operable to permit partial extension of the hands and feet of the user of the ladder up to the plate to enable the user to ascend and descend the ladder While preventing said user from extending his hands and feet beyond said guard plate.

7. ln a railway car the combination of, an underframe, means supported on said underframe for longitudinal sliding movement relative thereto, a ladder secured at its lower end to said underframe and extending upwardly alongside said means, 4bracket means slidably mounting upper portions of said ladder on said means, and plate means interposed between said ladder and said means to prevent yContact of a ladder occupant with said means.

References Cited in the le of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,647,915 Holman a- Nov. 1, 1927 1,698,867 Wine a Jan. 15, 1929 1,887,301 Gordon a Nov. 8, 1932 2,047,955 Fitch July 21, 1936V 2,946,396 McDougal July 26, 1960 

6. A SAFETY LADDER COMPRISING A PAIR OF PARALLEL SPACED ANGLE SECTIONED MEMBERS, EACH MEMBER HAVING ONE ANGLED LEG IN THE SAME PLANE WITH ONE ANGLED LEG OF THE OTHER MEMBER AND EACH MEMBER HAVING ITS OTHER ANGLED LEG EXTENDING FROM THE FIRST ANGLED LEG IN THE SAME DIRECTION AND IN PARALLEL SPACED RELATIONSHIP WITH THE OTHER ANGLED LEG OF THE OTHER MEMBER, A PLURALITY OF TREADS SPACED ALONG THE LENGTH OF SAID MEMBERS AND SECURED TO THE ANGLED LEGS THAT ARE LOCATED WITHIN THE SAME PLANE, AND A GUARD PLATE HAVING PERPENDICULAR EXTENDING SIDES EXTENDING TOWARDS AND SECURED TO THE PARALLEL ANGLED LEGS OF SAID MEMBERS TO THEREBY SPACED SAID TREADS FROM SAID GUARD PLATE AND OPERABLE TO PERMIT PARTIAL EXTENSION OF THE HANDS AND FEET OF THE USER OF THE LADDER UP TO THE GUARD PLATE TO ENABLE THE USER TO ASCEND AND DESCEND THE LADDER WHILE PREVENTING SAID USER FROM EXTENDING HIS HANDS AND FEET BEYOND SAID GUARD PLATE. 